You editorial, 'Super parliament' (#309), mentioned Grey Shirts, which led me to pen this little diatribe:

SHADES OF GRAY
Prologue:
Blown by the southerly winds
dark grey
clouds hover over the Himalaya
with thunderous lightning
and
torrential rain
ready to wash away the precious soil.
Act I:
Grey is the colour of choice
for the masses
Grey is hip
from the colour of hair to dresses
Grey is custom-tailored to differentiate
between a short-sleeved shirt
and
a full-sleeved tuck-in shirt
in a classless system.
Act II:
Grey is the badal
so are the whiskers
Grey strokes in the hair
faded by memories of a bygone era
Sita Ram
Sita Ram
Babu Ram
Babu Ram
Ram Ram
Hare Hare
Act III
Hot red fire
eventually becomes
kharani
that is swept away in the Bagmati.
Epilogue:
Black and White
makes
grey.
We are, but,
brown.

SN Singh,
email